Swing



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1.

1 T. W. BOW-EN.

SWING.

No. 437,014. atented Sept. 23, 1890..

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

T. W. BOWEN.

SWING.

No. 437,014. Patented Sept. 23,890.

/6 fi [Fae mes I .Zzz'e 70/57 IM Bd e/z B Add" fi'arne I Q l y y 4665/ er UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS W. BOl/VEN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SWING.

SPECIFICATION'forming part of Letters Patent No. 437,014, datedSeptember 23, 1890. Application filed December 28, 1887. $eria1N0.259,270. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

3e it known that I, THOMAS W. BOWEN, a citlzen of the United States,residing at Philadelphla, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Swingsand Attachments Therefor, (for which swings I have obtained a patent inthe United States, No. 345,950, and bearing date July 20, 1886,) ofwhich the following is a specification.

Thls invention relates to certain improvements in swings. These swingsare generally set up at places of popular resort and rented to personsto use for a certain period of time; but great difficulty is sometimesexperienced by the proprietor in inducing or compelling persons rentingto give up the swing when their time has expired, by reason of the factthat the proprietor, having no control over the swing, cannot stop thesamewhen in full motion without great danger to himself.

In view of these facts the object of this invention is to provide meanswhereby the swing is placed under the full control of the attendant,whether it be idle or in motion, and by which the swing can be started,kept 1n motion, or stopped by an attendant independent of the occupantand with great ease and rapidity, and which is sure andreliable inaction and simple, cheap, and durable in construction. These objects areaccomplished by and my invention consists in certain novel features ofconstruction and in combinations of parts, more particularly and fullypointed out hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective of aswing provided with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a dc tail elevationof the upper portion of the swingframe and the sliding frame therein.Fig. 8 is a detail elevation showing a pressure-bar of the foot-rest.Fig. 4: is a detail showing a modification whereby the sliding frame isdispensed with. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are details.

In the drawings the reference-letter a indi cates the frame or supportfor the swing having the main supporting cross-beam b, from which theswing is suspended, and to which the upper ends of the two main hangersor rods cc are pivoted by means of the brackets d and pivot-bolts e. Theseat or body f of the swing is carried by and rigidly secured to thelower portions of said hangers, and is provided with the back g andarm-rests h and the foot-rest v pivoted or hinged to the body of theseat to allow vertical swing of its outer portion. The free end of thisfoot-rest is upheld by the links j j, pivoted at their lower ends to thefoot-rest and extending diagonally upward and pivoted to the swing-framein rear of the pivotal points of the main rods or hangers of the swing.Hence it will be readily seen without further explanation that downwardpressure on the foot-rest will tend to throw the entire swingreal-wardly and upwardly, by reason of the arrangement and location ofthe foot-rest and links, and that as the swing works back and forth thelinks F raise and lower the free end of the foot-rest.

A pair of curved pressure-bars is k are at their lower ends hinged toopposite sides of the free end of the foot-rest, as shown atZ, and fromthence extend upwardly and rearwardly across the outer sides of the mainhangers, to which they'are loosely confined by means of open straps m,in each of which two rollers 71, n are journaled, and between each pairof rollers a one of said bars it works. Said straps m are also providedwith double springs o 0, bearing upon opposite edges of said bars 70,allowing the bars to freely and noiselessly work back and forth. Thesesprings at their centers are made thin with a central hole to receivethe pivots of the rollers and act as washers for said rollers to take upspace between the strap and roller. The rear and free ends of said rodsor bars k are provided with the clevises p, to which the operating-ropesor flexible connections q q are secured. These connections are locatedon opposite sides of the swing and extend forwardly from the rear endsof the pressurebars of the foot-rest to the pulleys r 'r, secured to themain hangers of the swing, preferably at the points of junction betweensaid hangers and the arm-rests of the swing-body. From these pulleys theoperating-connections extend up the outer sides of the main hangersthrough the double sheave-blocks s 3, secured to the brackets cl, to andthrough the main cross-beam of the swing-frame, and then in theconstruction of Fig. 4. the operatingconnections extend laterally frompulleys tt, mounted in said cross-beam, along said beam,

ISO

and then downwardly over pulley a to and secured to the upper end of avertically-movable connection e, at its lower end secured to one arm ofbell-crank lever 11:, mounted at the lower end of one of the swing-frameuprights and having its opposite arm connected by connection a with anoperating-lever Z) between its pivotal point and handle, said leverbeing pivoted to the frame-work c at a point of most convenient locationfor the attendant. This operating-lever can be provided with a guide orstop yoke d to limit its swing.

The double sheave-blocks s are secured to the supporting-brackets of theswing, substantially in the line with the pivotal points of theswing-hangers to allow the operatingconnections to work freely throughthe same and to hold said connections always at the center of theswing-hangers. Each sheaveblock 8 consists of strap (1 and the twopulleys c.

In Fig. 1 a construction for a large, heavy, or double swing is shown.In this construction the swing-frame is extended upwardly and providedwith a pair of vertical posts f f, provided on their adjoining edgeswith the vertical tracks or ways 9. A vertical slideframe or cross-headIt extends and reciprocates vertically between these posts and at itsends is provided with pulleys '11, confined and adapted to run on saidways. Instead of employing pulleys t andu, the operating-connectionsextend up from the sheave-blocks s and are rigidly secured to the lowerside of the slide-frame. On the cross-beam j of the swing-frame abovethe slide-frame a bellcrank lever is mounted and has one arm connectedwith the top of the slide-frame by connection Z, working over pulley min crossbeam 3', so that when the lever is rocked said slide-frame isreeiproeated. The other arm of said bell-crank lever is connected to thesaid connection 12 by flexible connection m, passing over pulley n. Theconnection o is provided with a swivel 0, by which the tension can beregulated.

The operatingconnections at the lower portions of the main hangers ofthe swing are inelosed by and pass loosely through the handpieces 19',secured to said hangers, and which prevent the hands of the occupantinterfering with said connections.

It should be observed that the slide-frame is allowed sufiicientmovement to operate the pressure-bars to depress the foot-rest therequired amount.

From the foregoing description and the drawings it is clearly evidentthat when the operating-lever is thrown to its limit of movement towardthe swing the operating-connections are loose and all parts of theattachment are at rest and the swing can be operated independent of theattachment; but when the operating-lever is drawn in the oppositedirection the operating-connections are drawn taut, thereby applyinglongitudinal pressure to the ends of the curved pressurebars, tending toforce down the foot-rest, and hence throw the swing rearwardly, as itaperson in the swing were pressing on the footrest, and if the lever isheld in this position the swing will be stopped and held stationary bythe attendant independent of the occupant ol the swing. The swing can bestarted by drawing back the lever and then reciprocatin g the same sothat pressure will be applied to the foot-rest as the swing is startingto swing backward. By reason of these facts this attachment can betermed an independent swing brake and starter. In starting andpropelling or operating the swing this attachment intermittingly appliesdownward pressure upon the foot-rest exactly as a person in a swing doesby intermittingly throwing his weight forward upon the foot-rest. Whenthe connections are operated to stop the swing, the ropes q q lock thebars k k, and hence lock or hold the foot-rest rigid and prevent itsvertical swing, thereby holding the swing stationary at almost anypoint. This attachment can be operated by a motor or other means thanthe direct power of an attendant.

It is evident that various changes might be made in the form andarrangements of the parts described without departing from the spiritand scope of myinvention. Hence I do not wish to confine myself to theexact construction herein set forth.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. The combination, with a swing, of holding andoperating mechanism, substantially as described, independent of theswing, and flexible connections between said mechanism and the swing,arranged so that the swing can operate independent of said connectionsand mechanism and the mechanism can be operated to stop the swing andstart the same, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a swing, of alevcr at the attendants stand, andflexible connections from the lever to the swing, arranged so that theswing can operate independent of the lever and the lever can be operatedto start and to hold the swing, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a swing and the pivoted foot-rest therefor,having supportinglinks, of the operating mechanism at the attendantsstand, and connections from said mechanism to the foot-rest, providedwith means so that said mechanism can exert pressure on the foot-resttostart the swing or can hold the rest rigid and stop the swin".

l. The combination, with a swing having a hinged foot-rest and linksconnected with the same, of operatingmeans and connections from saidfoot-rest to said means to lock said rest and thereby stop the swing orto exert pressure on the rest to start the swing.

5. The combination of the swing, a hinged foot-rest therefor, theswing-links supporting the outer end of said rest, pressure-bars for ICCsaid rest, operating means, and connections from said means to saidbars, for the purpose set forth. 7

6. The combination of the swing, a footrest hinged thereto, theswing-links connected to said rest, pressure and holdingbars hinged tosaid rest, and flexible connections secured to said bars to operate thesame, said connections extending to operating means located at theattendants position, for the purpose set forth.

. 7. The combination of the main hangers of a swing, a seat carriedthereby, a foot-rest hinged thereto, swing-links pivoted at their upperends in rear of said hangers and at their lower ends secured to saidrest, pressure-bars secured to said rest, operating means independent ofthe swing, and flexible connections from said bars to the operatingmeans, substantially as described.

8. The combination of the swing, a footrest hinged thereto, curvedpressure rods hinged to and extending rearwardly from said rest, pulleysand springs secured to the swingbody, between which said rods looselypass and by which they are held in position, and the flexibleoperating-connections secured to the ends of said bars and by which theyare operated to press down on the foot-rest, substantially as described.

9. The combination of a swing, a foot-rest hinged thereto and having itsfree end upheld by swinging links, with an operatinglever locatedindependent of the swing at the attendants position, and flexibleconnections from saidlever to the rest to hold the rest and to exertdownward pressure on the same when the lever is operated and allow theswing free independent movement when the lever isat rest, as set forth.

10. The combination of the swing-supporting frame, the swing suspendedin said frame, a foot-rest hinged to the swing and provided withrearwardly extending pressure bars loosely confined to the swing-body,flexible operating-connections secured to the ends of said bars andextending up the swing-hangers to said frame, a vertically-sliding frameto which said connections are secured, and a rocking-lever connectedwith said sliding frame and with independent operating means to operatethe same, substantially as described.

1].. A supporting-frame having a cross-bar, a swing having a hingedfoot-rest, with swinging links therefor, supporting-brackets secured tothe cross-beam and to which the swing hangers are pivoted, doublesheaveblocks located on said bracket-s, the flexibleoperating-connections connected with said foot-rest and extending up theswing-hangers through said sheave-blocks, and. operating means to whichsaid connections are connected, substantially as described.

12. The combination of the swing-body, the hinged foot-rest therefor,having the swinglinks, and the rearwardlyextending bars loosely confinedto said body, the flexible operating-connections secured to said bars,extending up the swing-hangers, and handguards on the hangers throughwhich said connections pass, substantially as described.

13. The combination, with a swing and the frame from which it issuspended, of operating and holding mechanism at the attendants stand,and flexible connections from said mechanism extending therefrom to theframe and down the suspending links to the bodyof the swing, and pulleysover which said connections pass, for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

THOMAS XV. BOWEN.

Witnesses:

R. A. WEST, JOHN G. GOETTELMANN.

